New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) announced on Oct. 1 that a settlement resolving charges against Landmark Americana bars in Glassboro and Ewing, stemming from two fatal accidents involving patrons in 2018 and 2019, was signed.
The settlement is a global resolution of numerous charges filed against corporate entities held by Antonio Cammarata, Filippo Cammarata, Massimo Cammarata, and David Goldman.
Together, these individuals have liquor licenses for Landmark Ewing, Landmark Glassboro, and WineWorks liquor stores in Evesham under various corporate names.
According to a consent order with the ABC, this settlement entails an agreement to sell the liquor license for the Landmark in Glassboro within two years and pay $550,000.
The consent order contains several restrictions aimed at curtailing the patronage of Landmark in Glassboro. The settlement does not include the Landmark Liquor store.
The consent order states the following restrictions on the Landmark in Glassboro: a “last call” at 11:30 p.m. and no alcoholic beverages sold after midnight, no amplified music or live DJ on-site, a ban on using the “nightclub room” except for private parties not open to the general public or dining and a ban on offering patrons one free drink as a goodwill gesture or offering coupons, tickets or tokens to redeem a free drink.
Additionally, it requires all alcoholic beverages to be sold, delivered, and dispensed following industry standards: a five-ounce pour for wine, a 12-ounce bottle or can for malt beverages and a 16-ounce draft pour for malt alcoholic beverages.
According to the press release, the charges listed numerous violations committed in both establishments in 2018 and 2019, including operating a public nuisance requiring law enforcement responses on multiple occasions, serving an underage patron, and three separate instances serving intoxicated patrons, two of which led to fatal crashes.
On Oct. 11, 2019, Robert Gallagher, 21, of Monroe Township left Landmark Glassboro after hours of drinking, lost control of his car, and crashed into a retaining wall.
Gallagher died as a result of his injuries, and his passenger was injured. At the time of the incident, Gallagher had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for driving.
Gallagher’s death came just ten months after a similar incident occurred at Landmark Ewing, which resulted in the arrest of 22-year-old David Lamar of West Windsor on Dec. 2, 2018.
Like Gallagher, Lamar was driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit after leaving Landmark in the early hours. According to the press release, Lamar crashed head-on into a car carrying six College of New Jersey students back to campus, which killed the car’s designated driver and wounded all five passengers, one critically.
Lamar and his passenger also sustained injuries in the crash. Facing charges including manslaughter, Lamar was released on house arrest in January 2019 until his trial.
“These cases illustrate why liquor licenses must be responsible in their service of alcohol to all patrons, not just drivers,” Acting Director James B. Graziano of the ABC said. “Both of these bars not only over-served the drivers in these fatal crashes; in two instances, they over-served the victims. These were patrons whose judgment became so impaired they willingly got into cars driven by someone they knew had consumed considerable amounts of alcohol, which resulted in their deaths.”
The ABC’s investigation revealed that in both cases, the Landmark staff over-served Lamar and Gallagher. State law prohibits licensed establishments from selling alcoholic beverages to any patrons “actually or apparently” intoxicated.
“Today we are holding the owners of Landmark Americana responsible for the role they played in the tragic deaths of two young people, who we allege would be alive today if not for the irresponsible conduct of Landmark Americana and its staff,” Graziano said. “These deaths are a grim reminder of what can happen when establishments fail to comply with laws requiring them to serve alcohol responsibly, especially when catering to young patrons in a college setting.”
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